What is the greatest video game cover ever created?

November 21st, 2016 admin

How many times have you been interested in playing a game thanks to the cover art catching your eye?

With hundreds, if not thousands, of titles to choose from depending on which console you own, many publishers and developers will take their time creating a cover for their video game so that it grabs the attention and hopefully leads to a gamer choosing that title over the many others on a store shelf.

To find out which is the greatest video game cover ever created, managed print specialist United Carlton has set out this shortlist of five standout examples. Check out their picks then head onto their Twitter page to let them know which one you believe to be the best, or if you have any favourites that we haven’t covered.

Heavy Rain

The cover of Heavy Rain does an excellent job of making the art of origami look incredibly dramatic. What’s particularly great about this is that you will actually have to play the game to grasp the meaning behind the cover’s image.

With the origami figure slowly being destroyed by the pouring rain, the cover also fits perfectly with the game’s dark, moody and unusual tone and visual style.

Limbo

Twisted, terrifying, dark, minimalist and unsettling are all words that can be used to describe the 2010 Indie fan favourite game Limbo.

The game’s cover art is reflective of all of these words too, with the black-and-white image of a faceless child wandering into the light having a creepy tone to it but also one which makes you want to explore just what this puzzle game is about.

Borderlands

How do you make your IP stand out when it’s going up against sure-fire hits like Halo 3: ODST and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? When it comes to Gearbox Software and the original Borderlands game, the answer was simple: create a cover that catches the eye and is rather controversial.

Instead of featuring the game’s protagonist, the cover featured a bandit from the RPG shooter pretending to shoot himself in the head along with a glimpse into the game being the splatter. All dressed up in a cartoon style complete with heavy cell shading to reflect the game’s unique art direction.

Ico

Boy meets girl is one of the most traditional stories that you can think of, though Ico did a fine job of wrapping this theme up in a soft-spoken and artistic game.

The cover of Ico works perfectly in that it demonstrates that this puzzle game is doing something that is different from the norm, while also being as minimalistic as the open space that games get to explore once the disc loads.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Sometimes a game cover creates itself from the action that you discover by actually playing the game. This is certainly the case for the cover of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Anyone who has played this pulsating action game is sure to remember the heart-pounding mission of trying to escape a derailed train, so the cover is effective in providing a glimpse about the thrilling ride you have waiting for you.